Life Doesn't Always Go As Planned
by kissc0lfer
Summary: AU. Takes place after five years after The Break Up. Kurt hasn't seen Blaine is five years. Rachel is fulfilling her dreams on Broadway while Kurt writes a men's fashion column for Vogue. He shares an apartment in NYC with Quinn and Beth while Puck and Finn live across the hall. What will happen when a certain curly haired man turns up at the coffee house on his wedding night?
1. Chapter 1

_The night that Blaine told Kurt that he'd slept with someone else, he left. Kurt didn't go back to Lima to visit, he didn't phone Blaine at Thanksgiving, they didn't go ice skating and have Christmas dinner together. They just got on with their lives._

_Kurt worked his way up at until he was eventually writing his own Men's fashion column. He had an office in Times Square where he could look over the city. _

_Rachel graduated from NYADA with honours and dove headfirst into Broadway, starring in the Broadway Revival of Funny Girl as Fanny Brice. Most of her days were devoted to rehearsing with her fellow actors and actresses, while her nights were spent performing in front of full houses to standing ovations and cries of "encore!". She would return from swanky after parties in the early hours of the morning to the lonesome apartment that she lived in on the Upper East Side._

_Quinn Fabray graduated from Yale university with a Theatre Studies degree and a hole in her heart. She returned to Lima later in the year and exposed Shelby Corcoran for having sexual relations with a minor. The courts deemed her an unfit mother and her four year old adopted daughter was packaged back to her birth mother. _

_In the autumn of 2014, Quinn turned up at the tiny studio apartment that Kurt and Rachel shared and begged to be let in, claiming that she and Beth had nowhere to go. The pair grudgingly obliged._

_For the next year, Rachel and Quinn bickered and squabbled over every little thing. Rachel showed no shame in her distaste for the heavy number of men which traipsed in and out of the apartment, while Quinn seemed to use the men as a way to taunt Rachel, to remind her of her gawky school years which Rachel had hoped to leave behind in exchange the glamour of the New York skyline and its romance._

_On Christmas Day 2015, Rachel packed her bags and left, leaving Kurt with a five year old child and a triumphant Quinn. Rachel stayed with her co-star Brody Weston for a few weeks until she plucked up the courage to buy her own apartment. It was a modest, one bedroom on the Upper East Side._

_Noah Puckerman turned up at the Hummel-Fabray residence in the summer of that year, relieved, breathless and enraged. He dashed straight to Beth, hugged her and promised that he would never leave her with her psychotic mother again. Kurt took Beth to see the ducks in Central Park so she didn't have to listen to her parents scream at each other._

_By September, Puck had moved into the two bedroomed apartment across the hall. Two months later, Finn joined him. Kurt wrote his Christmas column on his motley crew of friends and entitled it "Life Doesn't Always Go As Planned". _

_By the time 2017 rolled around, he hadn't thought about Blaine Anderson in nearly five years._

"Uh, I was just wondering if you had a, um, a towel or something I could use?"

Kurt groaned inwardly and slowly lifted his head from the column he was attempting to write for the February issue to smile tightly at the gangly, half naked man standing awkwardly in his kitchen.

"Sure." He said smiling through his gritted teeth. He gulped the last of his coffee and stood up, taking in the man's shoulder length bedraggled hair and sparsely grown stubble, he shuddered involuntarily thinking of his high school chum 'homeless Brett'. Then he smiled at the man again who was looking at him uncertainly and indicated the linen cupboard.

"I'll just get you one," He said as he strode across the room. A silence ensued. Brett 2.0 cleared his throat.

"Nice place you've got here," he said glancing around for the first time. The early morning light was streaming in through the large window which took up most of the wall on the street side of the apartment. In the five years he'd lived here, Kurt had never got around to putting up drapes. The tiny wooden scrubbed table in the kitchen area was covered in newspapers, photographs, fabric samples, post-it notes and a large, old-fashioned type writer sat in the middle of the table, a half written column poking out the top. The middle of the apartment was the living room area where the mismatched chairs all sat around the large coffee table which the whole flat was centred around. Kurt could see one of Quinn's black, lacy bras draped across the arm of the sofa.

"I guess you didn't really get a chance to have a good look around during to last night's _festivities_." Kurt said, eyeing the Brett-look-alike again.

"Yeah," Brett replied, missing the not-so-subtle sarcastic tone in Kurt's voice, "Me and Quinn had _a lot _of fun, she really knows her -"

"Here's your towel!" Kurt said hurriedly, shoving the towel into Brett's face and ushering him towards the bathroom. The details of Quinn and her homeless one night stand's sex life was something he really did not need to be hearing on a Sunday morning.

Kurt sighed to himself as he heard the bathroom door click. He'd been meeting Quinn's "friends" at least three times a week for the past three years but he still wasn't used to it. It was also confusing for Beth who'd had been tossed from mummy to daddy to other mummy to daddy and back to mummy so many times in her short little life, and all Quinn's boyfriends and lovers weren't making it any easier.

She was a smart kid for her age though and Kurt sometimes thought that she understood why Quinn would spend days in her room without eating, only getting drunk and not talking to any of them, even if none of the rest of them could figure it out.

It was hard going for Puck as well who had to watch as the mother of his child wasted her life away. Kurt suspected that when Puck had first arrived in NYC, he'd thrown about the possibility that the three of them could be a proper family, but either he'd changed his mind or Quinn had laughed in his face.

When Beth awoke, Kurt fixed her a poptart and she sat eating it, watching cartoons on the tiny TV which Rachel had found in a junk store. Sometimes he thought about what his co-workers and employees would say if they saw the way he lived but most of the time he didn't really care.

At mid morning, Puck wandered into the apartment with a bagel in hand and began fixing himself a cup of coffee. Kurt just nodded his head in acknowledgement and continued on with his work.

"Daddy!" Beth cried, running over and jumping into Puck's arms.

"Hey Bethie!" Puck said, burying his head into her blonde curls, "Where's yo' mamma?"

"She's still sleeping but the man is awake."

Puck glanced over at Kurt who raised his eyes, they shared a knowing look. Puck put Beth back down on the floor and patted her head.

"Why don't you go and watch your cartoons, Bethie?" He said smiling at her, she grinned back then hopped back over to the TV.

Puck sat down at the table opposite Kurt and leaned in, "This has got to stop." He said in a low voice. Kurt scratched his head, a resigned expression on his face.

"I know, but what can we do?!" Kurt said, "This has been going on for three years, it's getting ridiculous."

"What's getting ridiculous?"

They both turned to see a scantily clad Quinn in a silk kimono standing in the doorway of her bedroom, eyebrows raised. She was still as beautiful as always but the late nights, the drink and the crying had changed her. Her face was now more hollow, the dark shading under her eyes and cheek brows gave her an edge. She was intimidating almost, standing there, glaring down at them all, last night's lipstick still staining her lips.

Kurt glanced at Puck, who was staring down at the coffee in his hands.

"The length of time that man's been in my bathroom is what's ridiculous." Kurt said quickly.

"He's still here?" Quinn asked, grabbing the bagel from Puck's hand and sinking her teeth into it.

"He smelt homeless," called Beth from the couch.

"Excuse me, Beth?" Quinn said, her raised eyebrows turning to the little blonde head in front of the TV. Puck sniggered

"She's right though." Kurt said, shrugging his shoulders.

"I know," said Quinn.

Kurt glanced at Quinn, he was worried about her but he'd learnt from experience never to confront her. It would always end in tears and shouting.

"Hey, I'm meeting Rachel at the coffee house later if any of you want to join me?" Kurt said, suddenly remembering the plans he's made with her ladyship earlier in the week. Quinn rolled her eyes. Kurt didn't expect anyone to go, he was the only one who could still put up with her droning on about herself and her hugely successful career for hours on end but that was only because a little bit of his heart still ached for the Broadway lights that he'd abandoned.

Suddenly a rancid smelt rent the air. Kurt's hand leapt to his nose and he looked up to see Brett standing in the kitchen, grinning sheepishly at them all.

"Sorry, I think I used up all the toilet paper." He said. Quinn wrinkled her face in disgust while Puck just glared at him.

"I think maybe you should leave now," Quinn said, her tone was still filled with disgust.

Brett looked confused and a little hurt. Kurt often found it hard not to feel sorry for Quinn's victims, as he liked to call them.

"Hang on," Brett said, reaching into his pocket.

"Just leave." Quinn said sharply, her voice dangerous. She stood up and Brett pulled out a few notes from his trouser pocket. Quinn's eyes flashed alarmingly as he began counting out the money.

"How much did you say it was for the night again?"


	2. Chapter 2

"…so then the guy, who'd just happened to be the director for the musical rendition of Avatar just happened to be there, and he came up to me after the show and asked me to come to his party, and guess who was at that party, Kurt? Only Park Jae-Sang! Do you remember him? The guy who sang that Korean number, Gangnam Style, back when we were in high school?"

Kurt nodded, a plastic smile plastered across his face. He'd been sitting across from Rachel Berry in the coffee house, which their apartment was situated above, listening to her drone on about her fabulous life as a Broadway superstar. It wasn't that he was jealous of her, apart from the fact that he totally was, it was just that she'd become this new, pretentious, self-involved person who didn't care about the lowly life of her former best friend.

"Oh, by the way, Brody is throwing a little gathering next week and I asked him to invite you, 'cause I know you don't get out much-"

Kurt raised his eyebrows.

"You know, because of your job and you have to feed Finn and Puck and baby-sit Beth," Rachel said hurriedly while Kurt fought the urge to roll his eyes at how pathetic she made his life sound.

"How is Quinn by the way? I've not seen her around in a while," Rachel said reaching into her bag for her mascara stick.

Kurt cleared his throat, it had turned dry from lack of use, "Well actually, it seems that she's been charging a hundred bucks an hour to perform her extra curricular activities, if you know what I mean."

Rachel turned her head sharply, poking herself in the eye with the mascara wand as she did so.

"No freakin' way." She squawked, her lips curling into a smile. Kurt shook his head disapprovingly.

"It's not funny, Rachel, this is a serious, _illegal _matter," he said.

Rachel snorted, "Who'd have thought it, leader of the celibacy club turned hooker."

Kurt couldn't help but let out a little giggle.

"So, what does Puck have to say on the matter?" Rachel asked, the smile still stretched across her face.

"He's upstairs yelling at her right now."

They carried on discussing the rest of the group for the next half hour. It was nice, Kurt thought, it reminded him of the old times, when he, Rachel and their friend, Mercedes, would stay up to the early hours of the morning, bitching about the rest of the glee club. And Rachel seemed to relax a little and Kurt could see traces of the high school girl who'd once asked him for a makeover in order to seduce his step brother. He shuddered.

"What?" Rachel asked, interrupting her own story as she took notice of Kurt's expression.

"I was just thinking of the time I botched your makeover because I was in love with my brother." Kurt said. The old woman at the table next to them, turned and gave Kurt a disgusted glare that set the two of them off into a fit of giggles for the next ten minutes.

"Hey look, there's the happy family," Kurt said, indicating as Quinn and Puck walked into the café with Beth inbetween them. Puck's jaw was set and his eyes were narrowed in a permanent glare, Quinn's eyes were red as if she'd been crying but she looked ready to slaughter the next person who glanced her way.

Beth noticed Kurt and Rachel sitting at the little table in the corner and lead her parents over to them.

"Hello Quinn," said Rachel smugly, "Been up to much lately? Or should I say, _on_ to much lately?"

"Oh Rachel, I didn't see you under the fifteen inches of make-up you're wearing." Quinn growled, "Honestly, you're dressed up like a stolen car, you look like a whore."

Rachel blinked innocently, "Look like?" She said and turned to Kurt, "You hear that, Kurt, she said I _look_ like a whore, unlike her, who actually-"

Kurt held up his hands, and looked worriedly at Beth who was watching the conversation with her mouth slightly agape, "Ladies please. Try to keep your intense dislike for each other to an absolute minimum while you're in the company of, you know, anyone."

Quinn clicked her tongue impatiently and turned to Puck, "Well, you said you were gonna get me off the drink, are you gonna get me a coffee, or what?"

Puck grumbled then stalked off towards the counter while Quinn took a seat, pulling a bewildered Beth onto her lap. Then she turned to Kurt, who was a little taken aback at the sorrowful expression on her face.

"I'm so sorry Kurt," she said, and held up a hand as he tried to respond to this rare apology, "Please just listen to me." Kurt nodded slowly and she continued, "I know I've done a lot of bad stuff in my life and never a day passes without me thinking of the look on Shelby's face as she lost the custody to Beth. It haunts me you know. But she's the only good thing in my life and I needed to get her back. I thought she'd fill the empty feeling in my heart but, I don't know. With all these men, I just wanted to feel… _something_, and, at first, that's all I was doing. The money came afterwards, I don't know how it happened, it just did, and Kurt, I'm so, _so _sorry. You really don't deserve me as a roommate, you deserve someone good, like Rachel."

She stopped suddenly as her voice broke and the tears began to pour silently down her face.

"Quinn?" Kurt said uncertainly, she glanced up at him, "Please just try at least, try to stop."

She nodded and Kurt leaned over to hug her, the two of them crying.

"I can't believe you said I was a good roommate," came Rachel's voice, a little emotional. Quinn laughed and pulled Rachel over to the join the hug and the three of them began to laugh through their tears.

"Well!" Said Puck, triumphantly as he brought over the coffees.

"Oh shut up and hand me that espresso," said Quinn, wiping her eyes and smiling. Kurt didn't miss the slight smirk on his face as he turned away.

"What time is Finn getting here?" Kurt asked Puck as he sat down.

"Um," said Puck glancing at his watch, "he should be here now."

"Wait, Finn's coming?" Rachel said in an alarmed voice.

"Yeah, Dad and Carole are coming over for dinner tonight and he's supposed to be buying the groceries." Kurt said, rolling his eyes at the probability that Finn had forgotten to get them. Burt and Carole lived in the suburbs of New York, after Burt retired from his job at the tyre shop, the pair realised that Lima held nothing for them now that their sons had moved away. So they sold the tyre shop and bought a little bungalow on a quiet suburban street. It was near to the hospital too, which was handy.

"Oh, how is your dad doing, Kurt?" Rachel asked with a sympathetic expression.

Kurt sighed, the struggle with cancer had been a long and tiresome journey, "Um, the doctors are being pretty optimistic and he's off the chemo now, but I don't know, he still doesn't seem like the lively, spirited man who danced to Beyonce for my graduation present."

They all laughed as Kurt turned back to Rachel, "But why did you not want Finn to be here?"

Rachel groaned, "Okay, I did something stupid-"

At that exact moment, Finn bursting through the coffee house doors. Everyone looked up in surprise as he charged straight at Kurt.

"Kurt! Kurt! You'll never guess who I just saw running up the street just now!" Finn practically yelled in Kurt's face. Kurt opened his mouth to ask who but his voice lost its way on the journey to his throat as he saw a dark figure standing in the doorway silhouetted against the darkness outside. Rain lashed against the window panes and bounced off the curly hair that Kurt knew only too well. He felt something sharp pierce into his heart as he met the hazel brown eyes and he turned away. There was a reason, he thought, that he hadn't let himself think about Blaine Anderson in five years.


	3. Chapter 3

"Uh, can I help you? Kurt?"

Kurt could feel himself shaking as he stood at the counter, eyes unmoving as they gazed at the display of chocolate chip muffins in front of him. He could sense everyone's eyes upon him, he could hear their high, false laughs and phoney, light-hearted conversations.

Why was he here?

Kurt had spent the last five years trying his best to get over Blaine. He'd devoted his time to working up the Vogue ladder and, at last, he was satisfied with the way his life was working out. Obviously it wasn't perfect with his father's illness, and dealing Quinn and the lack of potential boyfriends but he was doing okay. He was rolling contentedly along his little life and it was alright.

He heard Rachel's high-pitched stage laugh from the little table, he could almost hear her sweating from the pressure. Maybe it was time to face his fears and the man he'd been running from since he was eighteen.

"No, thank you, I'm good," Kurt said to the coffee house manager, Gunther, and walking slowly back through the packed room to the little, crowded table in the corner.

Everyone looked up as he approached. Puck seemed to be fighting the urge to cry, Quinn was staring at Blaine with narrowed eyes. Rachel was looking at Kurt with a concerned expression on her face and Finn was glancing with apprehension from Blaine to Kurt as if scared of what was going to happen next, he'd been on the end of one of Kurt's outbursts and it wasn't pretty.

Kurt took a deep breath and smiled widely at the man who'd broken his heart so many years ago, "Blaine!" He said, trying his best to sound surprised and delighted, "What brings you to our humble coffee house?"

Blaine looked a little taken aback, Kurt could almost hear the rest of the group exhaling with relief.

"Uh," said Blaine, still looking shocked, Kurt's heart leapt to his throat as he heard the familiar voice for the first time in years, "I actually just left my husband at the alter, I climbed out the bathroom window."

A silence followed and Kurt felt his stomach drop down to the floor. He was _engaged. _Blaine bit his lip, still gazing at Kurt with sorrow filled eyes.

"Well, that explains the get-up then?" Kurt said, chuckling to himself.

"What?" Said Blaine confusedly, then looked down at the rented tuxedo he was wearing, it was soaked through to the skin and his bowtie was undone. His untied shoelaces trailed along the floor, "Oh - right, yeah."

Their eyes met for a split second but then Kurt turned back to the rest of the group.

"Well, I'd better go back upstairs and start cooking that risotto for Dad and Carole," he said, picking up his coat, "Finn? Did you remember to get the groceries?"

Finn pulled a bag out from under his chair and handed it to Kurt with an astounded expression. Kurt raised his eyebrows at him.

"What can I say?" He said, "I'm impressed. Well see you guys later, nice seeing you again, Blaine."

Blaine nodded slightly and Kurt hurried towards the door and out into the rainstorm, trying to wipe the tears from eyes as he did so.

…

"All I'm saying is, you've been writing that fashion column for two years, yet you've still not discussed the biggest fashion accessory of all time-"

"And what would that be Dad?"

"The majestic baseball cap of course!"

The tiny kitchen erupted with laughter. Carole was patting her husband on the arm and smiling at him. It had been a rough couple of years for her too, she wasn't as young as she used to be and she didn't have the energy to be dashing from work, to the bungalow, to the hospital. Finn was smiling at them all as he took a drink from his glass and Burt was grinning at Kurt. He looked better than he had done in months, the colour had started to return to his cheeks and his eyes had regained some of the old sparkle.

"I'm telling you Dad, it will definitely be in the February issue, all you have to do is buy the magazine and look." Kurt said as Burt looked indignantly at him.

"I'll have you know that I buy that magazine every month!" He said.

Kurt raised his eyebrows, "You mean you get Carole to buy it for you?" He exchanged a knowing look with her and she grinned at him. Burt glanced from his son to his wife, then down at his plate.

"I still read it, don't I?" He said and Kurt patted him on the arm consolingly.

"I know, I know," he said.

…

Darkness had already begun to fall before Puck managed to convince Blaine to come up to his apartment and stay for the night. Blaine was cold, confused and looked exhausted but he didn't wipe the smile off his face as Beth chatted non-stop to him all the way up to the apartment. Quinn followed the troop with a bored expression on her face.

Once they were inside the warmth of Puck and Finn's small flat, Puck took Blaine's jacket and threw it casually on the radiator in the living room. Quinn rolled her eyes.

"For God's sake Puck, you can't just leave it there, Blaine needs to return this to the store, and it's going to be all wrinkled," she snapped, grabbing the jacket and stalking into Puck's bedroom, presumably to hang it up. Blaine weakly sat down on one of the bar stools around the breakfast bar and Beth followed suit, grinning a toothy smile up at him.

"You wanna a beer?" Puck asked, turning to the fridge.

"Thanks," said Blaine.

"I wouldn't mind a beer," came Quinn's voice.

"Me neither," said Beth. Blaine chuckled.

Puck turned back to the kitchen, holding two beers in his hands, "Just orange juice for my two lovely ladies, tonight."

"I am _not _your lady." Quinn hissed under her breath.

Puck ignored her, and handed Blaine his bottle.

"So, Blaine bro, what the hell happened to you?" Puck said, sitting down across from Blaine and looking at him expectantly.

Blaine bit his lip, he didn't like talking about the past, the past five years had been hell for him.

He sighed, "Well, I returned from New York after, after Kurt didn't-"

"Didn't want to see you again because you cheated on him and stomped all over his delicate little heart?" Quinn interrupted angrily. Blaine's eyes flickered to her for a fraction of a second then bowed his head.

"Yes," he said quietly, "So, I returned to McKinley but it wasn't the same. People weren't mean, as such, I mean, they still spoke to me but I could see the accusation in their eyes when they looked at me or spoke to me. And everything reminded me of him, and of what I did…"

He swallowed, the lump in his throat throbbed painfully. He still hadn't come to terms with what he'd done, even after five years.

"So what did you do?" Puck said breathlessly, hanging off Blaine's every word, like a child clinging to the news that Christmas might not be cancelled after all.

"I went back to the Warblers," Blaine sighed, taking a swig of his beer, "But it was different there too. They didn't want to win by their voices anymore, they managed to work their way to the top through blackmailing, cheating and sabotaging. And I remember, one time, looking around at all the people who used to be my friends, Nick, Jeff, Trent and not being able to recognise them. And I went around for the next few months thinking and wondering why they'd all changed, and then I realised, I was the one who'd changed."

"You didn't change Blaine!" Puck cried. Blaine patted him on the shoulder.

"No, I did change Puck," Blaine said heavily, "When Kurt first met me, I was this strong, independent guy but then I became a whiney, pathetic little creature who couldn't even stay away from his boyfriend for a month without having a near breakdown."

Quinn was watching the conversation between the two men with a strange expression on her face. Beth had fallen asleep in her arms and she was lightly stroking her hair.

"And then, what did you do?" Puck said.

"I dropped out of school, my parents wanted me to finish my education and go to college but I couldn't stay there any longer, so, so they kicked me out," Blaine said into the quiet kitchen, "I got on the first train to New York from Lima. I don't know what I was planning to do, busk my way to fortune? Well anyway, I just happened to meet Eli on the train and-"

"Who?" Said Quinn sharply, her eyes widening for a brief moment.

"Eli, the guy who," he paused, glancing at Puck, "the guy that I slept with."

Puck let out a small sob. Quinn just stared at Blaine and he was finding it a little unnerving.

Blaine cleared his throat, "He was also the guy who's wedding I just ran out of."

Puck spat his beer out across the table, Blaine jumped off his stool and ran around to thump him on the back. Quinn was just staring into space, the colour draining from her face.

Once Puck had recovered, they all took their places at the bar again.

"Please, please, just don't tell Kurt that it was Eli who I was supposed to marry, I don't want to hurt him anymore." Blaine begged, mostly to Quinn who seemed to be developing a huge dislike for him.

Quinn glared at him, "And you think turning up here, isn't hurting him? Do you even realise how distraught he was when you left him?" Blaine flinched, Quinn seemed to be swelling with anger.

"Kurt trusted you with every fibre in his body and you just burnt him down. Kurt never opens his heart up to anybody because he knows about disappointment. You know, with his mum dying and the bullying and his dad's heart attack and now his cancer and not getting into NYADA and now you've been added to that list, just another one of Kurt's big disappointments!

"And now you just waltz back in here and expect Kurt to forgive-"

"I never said-"

"He never even talks about you! He hasn't mentioned your name in years!" Quinn spat, glaring at Blaine, her eyes black with rage.

"Quinn, that's enough." Puck said quietly. Blaine was looking down at the table top, his face was hidden but he was trembling, as if he was shaking with tears.

"Blaine, don't listen to her, she likes to make up shit when she's angry." Puck said, glaring at Quinn.

"Oh do I? Tell me Puck, did you have to listen to Kurt cry through the night and know that there was absolutely _nothing _you could do?" She spat.

Blaine lifted his and looked at Puck, "No, she's right Puck, it is all my fault, I think I should leave before I hurt Kurt anymore."

He stood up and began looking around for his jacket. Puck looked at Quinn, who sighed exasperatedly.

"Okay fine, Blaine, just stay here, at least for tonight," Quinn said.

Blaine shook his head, "No, it's okay, I'll find a hotel."

"Blaine, _please." Said Quinn, looking genuine and mild for the first time all night. He hesitated._

"_Alright then."_

…

_Blaine winced as the roll out bed creaked loudly in the night's quiet. He thought it would be easier to leave when there was no one around to stop him. Slowly and carefully, he got himself up off the bed and crept over to where his shoes were sitting neatly by the floor. _

_Putting them on, he thought back to what Quinn had said. He hadn't realised that he'd affected Kurt so much. He knew that Kurt cared about him, but he'd thought he'd been more of a burden to Kurt in the big city than anything else. And Burt had cancer? He couldn't even imagine how Kurt was dealing with it, he should have been there for him. _

_He often thought about how their lives would be if he hadn't cheated. Would they still be together? Probably. They'd probably be living in their own little apartment that looked over central park. And they'd have a piano in the living room where they'd sing songs and dance and laugh. And Kurt would use Blaine to model all his new designs and Blaine would pout when the pins pricked him but Kurt would give him magic kisses to make them all better._

_Maybe they would have a puppy and they'd take it for walks together down the beach, and they'd talk about their future but they would both know that it wouldn't work out as planned but they wouldn't care because they had each other to rely on._

_Blaine picked up his jacket and walked towards the door, as he put his hand on the doorknob he heard a small voice behind him._

"_Blaine?" _

_Blaine turned around to see Beth standing in the middle of the room with her little pyjamas on, her curls were tousled and she had a confused expression on her face._

"_Hi Beth," he whispered, "Shouldn't you be asleep?"_

"_Where are you going?" She asked, ignoring his question._

_He sighed, "I have to go, sweetie, I'm sorry."_

_She ran up to him and wrapped her small arms around his waist, "But you can't leave! What about Uncle Kurt?"_

_Blaine's heart flipped, it still did even at the sound of Kurt's name. But he shook his head and Beth hugged him tighter._

"_But he still loves you!" She cried, and Blaine felt the desire to laugh._

"_And what would make you think that?" Blaine whispered, trying to keep the amusement out of his voice._

"_Because he looks at you the way daddy looks at mommy." _

_She let go of him and turned, tiptoeing quietly back to her bed leaving a dazed Blaine standing alone in the darkness. _


	4. Chapter 4

Kurt Hummel was not having a good start to his Monday morning.

He had awoken late for work when his alarm had failed to go off, so Kurt had had to skip his morning skincare ritual, the one he'd been practising since he was thirteen years old and had discovered the horrors of pubescent pores. He'd then tried to make his daily grande, non-fat mocha and had discovered a lack of milk. He then decided to pop over to Puck's apartment and sneak some milk into his coffee because, good lord, were those boys in his debt for food stealing, and had been greeted with a half-naked Blaine who'd just stepped out the shower, the water droplets still glistening on his hard-toned torso.

A red-faced Kurt had mumbled something about red sky in the morning being shepherd's warning and had swiftly left, the slamming front door causing a slight breeze that Kurt, fortunately, hadn't been around to witness.

Standing in the rain, outside the building where he lived, Kurt had hailed a taxi in the way he always did - with a wave worthy of the Queen of England, and had promptly been splashed by a passing school bus. He could almost hear the children's cackles of glee from behind the two inch glass and it hit him like a slushie to the face.

So, safe to say, by the time Kurt Hummel finally reached the Vogue building where he worked, he was pissed off, soaking wet and a little turned on.

"Good morning, Mr Hummel," drawled Beatrice from where she was wedged in behind her desk. Beatrice was his fifty year old secretary, and with a resume boasting experience from the most fastidious businesses in the tri-state area, he'd hired her without batting an eyelid. Unfortunately however, soon after this transaction, Beatrice had arrived home to find her husband of 26 years of marriage lying in bed with a skinny blonde's legs wrapped around his neck. She made the courageous decision to walk out of the apartment and pretend that nothing had happened. Instead of finding solace in signing the divorce papers, she'd run to the loving arms of comfort food. Two years on and she'd gained an impressive 450 pounds, a high blood pressure and surly disposition.

"Yeah, hi, Beatrice, how are you?" Kurt muttered distractedly as he attempted to wring out the purple velvet blazer he was wearing. Without waiting for an answer, he marched toward his office door, flung it open and stepped inside. He shut the door behind him, then placed the leather satchel he was carrying down on the table and slowly walked towards the floor length window which loomed over his office.

He pressed his forehead to the cool glass and sighed as he watched the rain lash down on New York City.

He shook his head as the mental image of Blaine's bare chest floated into his mind. He sighed again. This had been the first time he'd been alone with his thoughts since Blaine had bounded into his life again and he didn't really know what to make of them.

Did he want to get back together with Blaine? His heart still twanged painfully at the thought of his name, it had dulled over time, but it still hurt that the only person he'd ever opened his heart up to trust had just cheated on him. He didn't know what the normal protocol was in this situation, but was he supposed to forgive and forget just because it had been five years? Or hold on his pain and hurt even if he was missing out on a potentially wonderful relationship with a man he was still in love with?

He banged his head against the drizzly glass. He really didn't know what to do.

…

"I'm _really _glad you decided to stay Blaine," Puck grunted through a mouthful of pancakes. Blaine smiled faintly.

He was sitting at the breakfast bar with Puck and Finn, sipping his coffee and pretending to read the _New York Times. Quinn had taken Beth to school a few hours ago and had not returned so he didn't know if Beth had told her mother about last night's confrontation._

"_Yeah, me too," said Finn, and cleared his throat, "it's so great that you're going be sleeping on our coach for the next few days… weeks… months…?" he trailed off with an air of nonchalance._

_Blaine hesitated, he didn't know how long he'd be staying. He didn't have anywhere else to go. _

"_Um, I'm not really sure, Finn," he said awkwardly, "I'm really sorry, I'll try and help out with the bills as much as possible but I don't have that much money unfortunately."_

"_It's fine, Blaine. Stay as long as you want!" Said Puck enthusiastically. Finn smiled half-heartedly. _

"_Maybe," Blaine started, "maybe I could help out with your pool cleaning business, you know for free, and you could put my would-be wages towards paying the bills?"_

_Finn's eyes lit up, "Yeah!" He cried, and looked at Puck, "Do you know what this means? We can expand our company, go for bigger pools and have richer clients!"_

_Puck whistled and fist-bumped them both. "This is gonna be sweet!" He said. The three of them cheered and Blaine felt an unfamiliar feeling of light heartedness wash over him as a comfortable silence fell in the tiny kitchen. He cleared his throat._

"_Hey, guys?" he asked, timidly. They looked up at him concernedly. Blaine got the feeling that Puck sometimes thought of him as a little brother whom he needed to guide through life and bestow wisdom upon. _

"_Yeah?" asked Finn._

_Blaine swallowed nervously, "Do you - do you think I should try things again with - with Kurt?" His voice broke as he spoke Kurt's name. He cleared his throat again, slightly abashed._

_Puck nearly leapt out of his chair, "HELL YEAH!" he yelled, thumping Blaine hard on the back in what Blaine took as encouragement. Finn didn't say anything, he just looked down at his coffee mug._

"_Finn?" Blaine asked uncertainly. _

"_I don't know Blaine," Finn paused, "I mean, I've never seen him so distraught as when you two broke up and you know that you hurt him real bad?"_

_Blaine nodded solemnly._

"_But I've also never seen him so happy as when you two were together or when he was talking about you and the stuff I never really understood but you did understand, you know?" _

_Blaine nodded again, his eyes began to fill up and he tried furiously to blink them away._

"_So, I guess what I'm saying is, maybe it's time for Kurt to be happy again," he finished, his expression still neutral. Blaine glanced at Puck, did he have permission from Finn or not? Then Finn's face broke out into a smile, and Puck was beaming at him and his vision began to go blurry and Puck was yelling "Group hug!" and he was filled with a feeling of elation that he hadn't felt in five long years._

…

_Quinn turned around the corner from the school which she'd just dropped Beth off at. She huddled into her jacket as the rain pounded down on her, battering across her makeup-less face. She spotted her bus trundling along the flooded pavement and began speed walking towards it, racing it towards the stop. _

_As the bus slowed to a halt in front of her, she waited for the doors to open. She clamoured up the steps and her feet squelched as water seeped into the thin soles of her shoes. She paid for her ticket then made her way to the back of the bus and sat down._

_The bus had just begun to move again when she felt her phone buzz in her pocket. She picked it up and looked at it, her brow furrowed. It was from an unknown contact. She double-clicked it and the text popped up, projecting brightly in the reflection of her green eyes._

"_You can't run forever Quinn."_


	5. Chapter 5

Kurt entered the apartment after another long, tedious day at work hoping to relax on the sofa and catch up with the next few episodes of Jersey Shore, a show he'd obsessed over since his teenage years. Unfortunately however, he as he stepped through the threshold, he was greeted by an excitable Finn.

"Hey man!" He said, slapping Kurt playfully on the back. Kurt glanced behind him to see his little kitchen filled with Puck, Quinn, Beth and Blaine. He looked back at Finn, eyebrows raised.

"Finn?" He said, warningly but Finn just grinned.

"We're having a little celebration!" He said indicating the ensemble behind him. Kurt noticed a huge 24 inch pizza box lying on the table. Kurt opened his mouth to ask why but Puck interrupted.

"Blaine's going to join our pool cleaning business!" He practically yelled, and then turned to high five Blaine, who returned the gesture half-heartedly, looking anxiously at Kurt. Kurt carefully avoided his eye.

"And who paid for the pizza?" Asked Kurt, knowing full well that Puck and Finn did not have to budget to be throwing parties and buying ridiculously sized pizzas, not when they were trying to run a pool cleaning business in the middle of New York City where there was not a swimming pool in sight.

Finn looked awkwardly at Puck.

"Um, you're the breadwinner of the household, Kurt!" Puck said defensively. Kurt just sighed and helped himself to a slice, which, he had to admit, was pretty darn good.

"I suppose I'm paying for this wine too?" he asked, noticing the bottles on the table. Finn just shrugged, his mouth full of pizza. Puck ignored him. He seemed distracted, and his eyes kept flickering towards Quinn who had been silent the whole time. Kurt in turn, could feel Blaine's eyes upon him, but he kept his head down. He still wasn't sure what he wanted.

"Are you alright Quinn?" asked Finn concernedly. Quinn's head snapped up, and she stared at them all, like a deer caught in headlights, then, to everybody's surprise, she turned to Blaine.

"Hey Blaine, what was that guy's name that you said you married?" She asked. The whole kitchen went quiet, Puck cleared his throat awkwardly. Kurt gasped as a foot collided with his leg, obviously aimed at Quinn. Kurt glared at Finn who was the only was uncoordinated enough to miss the person's leg who was sitting right next to him. Blaine glanced at Kurt uncomfortably, then turned his honey brown eyes to Quinn.

"I didn't actually marry him," he said, so quietly that Kurt almost couldn't hear him. Finn tried to start a conversation with Puck to fill the deafening silence in the room, which seemed empty then and lifeless. The two began to discuss their upcoming business plans while Kurt picked at his food, trying unsuccessfully to block out Blaine and Quinn's muttered conversation.

"Whatever," said Quinn, "Just tell me his name again."

"Why?"

"Just because," she snapped.

Blaine lowered his voice even further until it was barely even a whisper, "He was called Eli."

There was a pause. Kurt glanced up to see Quinn stare at Blaine with a horrified expression. He averted his eyes again as he accidentally met Blaine's.

"And did- did you ever tell Eli, tell him about your past?" Quinn asked her voice equally as quiet.

"Do we have to talk about this now?" came Blaine's voice and Kurt could feel his eyes on him once more.

"Yes!" said Quinn hurriedly.

"Okay, yeah, I talked to him about my past, but that's no big deal, right? I mean we dated for four years, we had to talk about something-"

"Did he ever tell you about his past?" Quinn interrupted.

There was another pause, Kurt could picture Blaine's mouth curving down into that little frown he did whenever he was thinking hard about something. Kurt heard Quinn gulp audibly as if she already knew what the answer would be. Then Blaine spoke once more.

"Now I come to think about it, I don't think he ever did."

Later that night, when the small party had disbanded and the pizza and the wine had made them fou and lethargic and giddy, Kurt found himself sitting on the sofa in the living room of the apartment he'd bought with his best friend, Rachel Berry when the two of them had been young and full of foolish dreams, with Blaine Anderson, the man who'd cheated on him as a boy. Kurt turned his head slightly and gazed unabashed at Blaine, surveying his face as if searching for something, or a sign, maybe, that he turn around and walk out of Blaine's life as he had done to him when he was eighteen.

Blaine also turned his head to face Kurt, there was a pretty wide gap between their two faces and both of them felt it with a feeling of remorse. Blaine glanced up at Kurt's eyes, as if for permission, then scooted along the couch so their noses were barely inches apart.

"Hey beautiful," Blaine said, smiling up at Kurt through his thick eyelashes. Kurt smiled.

He breathed out slowly as he felt the tension leave his body, he just wanted all the hurt and pain to evaporate for a few moments so they could be Kurt and Blaine again. He'd been fighting it for too long, fighting his emotions and trying to cover up all that he'd been feeling for the past five years.

"I'm exhausted," he said simply. Sorrow seemed to fill Blaine's eyes for a brief second.

"I'm sorry, Kurt," he said, still gazing at Kurt as if he only had so much time to look so he wanted to remember every aspect of Kurt's face, every line, every freckle.

"It's okay," Kurt said and Blaine reached out gently to hold his hand and Kurt let him. It was nice, he thought.

They sat like that for a while, simply looking at each other in a comfortable silence.

"Kurt," Blaine began, and paused as Kurt leaned into his shoulder, "I was wondering if maybe, you would do me the honour of, agreeing to go on a date, maybe, sometime?"

He let the question hang in the air. Kurt looked back up at Blaine surprised.

"Well, what did you have in mind?" Kurt said, and Blaine smiled again, taken aback that Kurt hadn't immediately turned him down.

"Um, anything really… coffee? A movie? Dinner?" Blaine said, sounding more hopeful. Kurt glanced at him again, still unsure if he was doing the right thing.

"How about just a coffee?" He said, "Just for just now."

Blaine's smile widened as if it was better than anything he could of hoped for. Kurt admired the way his eyes seemed to light up and the crinkles around his eyes deepened. They were still gazing at each other, faces closer now, barely centimetres apart. Blaine glanced from Kurt's eyes to his lips, then leaned in.

Kurt abruptly let go of Blaine's hand, which was still intertwined with his, and stood up, walking swiftly towards his bedroom door. He glanced back at Blaine's small frame sitting abandoned on the couch and turned towards his door.

"Remember to lock the door on your way out," he said, then disappeared into the swallowing darkness.


	6. Chapter 6

"Quinn!"

Kurt's shrill voice broke out across the apartment, breaking the calm quiet which had filled the Saturday morning air. Kurt stared at Quinn as she came crashing into his room, hair askew and brandishing a curling iron. Beth hot at her heels.

Seeing Kurt alone in his room, holding a pair of tight pants against his legs, she glanced around uncertainly.

"Kurt?" She asked, lowering the curlers, "Are you alright?"

Kurt turned to her, still clutching the pants, "Yeah," he said, "I just need you to help me figure out what to wear on this not-date."

Quinn sighed exasperatedly, "Shit, Kurt, you scared me!" She said, her tone raising in anger, "I thought there was someone attacking you or something!"

Kurt rolled his eyes, "Jeez Quinn, why so jumpy?"

Quinn ignored him, then glanced at her reflection in the mirror. There were dark bags under eyes, and the fine lines on her face where deepening. She rubbed her forehead agitatedly, then noticed Beth watching her in the mirror behind her. She shook her head, then turned smiling to Kurt.

"I think you should definitely go for the tightest pants you can find, the tighter your pants, then the tighter Blaine's are gonna become, if you know what I mean?" She said winking at him. Kurt glared at her, covering Beth's ears with his hands.

She laughed and pulled Beth towards her for a hug.

"So where's he taking you for this date?" She asked.

"I've told you, it's _not a date," Kurt sighed, "It's just two old friends, catching up, drinking coffee-"_

"_Having sex…" Quinn added thoughtfully._

_Kurt gasped, "Quinn!" he said, throwing his pillow at her. She threw it back grinning. Kurt couldn't help but smile, it was nice seeing Quinn happy for once, even if she was bullying him about Blaine. _

"_So, got any gossip?" Kurt said, trying to change the subject as he hair sprayed his carefully coiffured hair._

"_Um, fat headed Rachel is dating fat assed Finn again," Quinn said in a bored voice, as if Rachel wasn't worthy as the subject of her gossiping._

_Kurt tutted at her but he was used to Quinn and Rachel's swipes at each other so it really didn't faze him anymore._

"_When did that happen? I thought she was having an affair with Brody."_

"_Still is."_

"_So she's cheating with Finn on Brody, who is cheating on his girlfriend with Rachel?"_

"_Yup."_

"_Wow, it's like slutception."_

_They both went quiet for a moment. Kurt thinking about infidelity and how Rachel went about it so casually when he, Kurt, hadn't been able to come to terms with it after five years. He looked at Beth, she had been conceived by cheating. Quinn had cheated on Finn with Puck. Finn had cheated on Rachel with Quinn. Rachel had cheated on Finn with Puck. Rachel had cheated on Brody with Finn. Brody had cheated on his girlfriend with Rachel. Then Blaine had cheated on him. But why had it hurt so much? Why was it so different when Blaine cheated on him? Everyone else had done it and got over it. Why were he and Blaine so different?_

_Quinn was thinking about Rachel. About how she had everything, a good job, her own apartment, money, a boyfriend or two, but she was always looking for something more. Nothing could satisfy that girl. She'd finally reached her dream of being on Broadway, of thousands crying at the sound of her voice, but it just wasn't enough. Meanwhile, Quinn had nothing, except for a beautiful daughter and a loyal best friend. _

…

_Kurt took a deep breath before pushing open the door to the coffee house. He wasn't just walking into the café that he drunk coffee at everyday. He was walking into a new life, into forgiveness and, hopefully, peace of mind at last._

_He surveyed the room as he walked in and quickly spotted Blaine, huddled in the corner at a tiny table of two. He was gazing out the window, a dog eared novel open in his hands. He must have been here for a while._

"_Hey," said Kurt as he approached the table. Blaine seemed to snap out of his trance and he stood up, and spread out his arms wide like he was going to hug Kurt but then thought better of it. He swung his arm up as if stretching, Kurt just suppressed a smile. _

"_Hey," was all Blaine said back, as they both sat back down. Kurt noticed the two coffees sitting in front of them, he looked up at Blaine who was watching him anxiously._

"_Is this for me?" Kurt asked, indicating the mug._

_Blaine nodded, "Yeah, but, um, it might be a bit, um, cold now.". Kurt took a swig and then nearly choked in surprise. Blaine's eyes widened in panic as Kurt spluttered in front of him._

"_Are you alright, Kurt?" He asked anxiously. _

_Kurt nodded, and gulped quickly, "You remembered my coffee order?" He said, a sense of urgency in his tone. His eyebrows were furrowed, and his eyes were staring at Blaine with confusion. _

"_Of course I did." Said Blaine, still looking with concern at Kurt. Kurt felt his heart leap a little in his chest as he remembered a similar conversation the two of them had had when he was 17 and Blaine, 16. He remembered the way his cheeks had flushed when Blaine had ordered his coffee without a blink of an eye, he also remembered the way his mind had flickered to their future. Blaine in college, him at NYADA, them meeting up at Starbucks on their lunch breaks to talk about their futures. It was funny how things had turned out._

_Kurt looked down abashed. He'd been gazing at Blaine, his thoughts a million years away. He felt like the shy little school boy who'd fallen in love with Blaine Anderson the moment he'd grabbed his hand and pulled him down the hallway, telling him that he knew a shortcut. _

"_It's been a while," said Blaine, as if Kurt's thoughts had been projected across the room on Sue Sylvester's megaphone. Kurt nodded, then looked up a Blaine again. He had to know, if he was to move on, or if anything was going to happen between them again, he had to know._

"_Blaine?" Said Kurt, biting his lip, Blaine just looked at him. Sadness filled his eyes as if he knew what Kurt was going to ask, and was afraid of his own answer._

"_Why did you do it?" _

_Blaine reached across the table and grasped Kurt's hand, Kurt didn't protest. It was actually soothing. He sighed and looked down at the table._

"_You probably didn't realise it, Kurt, but, at McKinley, I didn't have many, or any, friends. All my friends were your friends. And after you left, I realised, they'd only been nice to me because they liked you Kurt and they wanted you to be happy. Don't get me wrong, they were nice to me and everything but they weren't really my friends." He paused. Kurt was watching his every move, looking for every hint of emotion, every blink, every movement._

"_So, I was lonely, Kurt. It's a pitiful, pathetic excuse, but, yeah, it's true. I was lonely. I wasn't invited places anymore. You weren't answering your phone. I just spent hours on end, alone, with my thoughts. I don't know, that level of loneliness, it does something to a person, you know."_

_Kurt nodded, he knew what it was like to be alone. Before glee club came along, he had his father and that was it. And that wasn't a good feeling._

"_So anyway, one night," Blaine's voice sounded strained, as if it physically pained him to think of what he'd done, "I don't know, something snapped inside of me, I just, I just got really, really angry. Angry at everyone at school, angry at my parents, even angry at you."_

_He looked up at Kurt through his thick eyelashes. Kurt could see the tears forming in Blaine's eyes and he had to blink away his own. His heart was pounding in his chest, he felt scared. He didn't want to be the cause but he knew he was._

"_So, I went to the only person who'd shown me any sort of compassion over those few months," he said shakily. Kurt wiped away the tears with his free hand. They were still clutching onto each other, even more desperately than before. "I don't even remember most of it, it's like I was this whole other person. I just know, I didn't get any pleasure out of it. And after it happened, I could see clearly again and I nearly threw up right there in his room. 'Cause I knew Kurt, I knew nothing would ever be the same from then on. I knew that you were the one and I'd just broken everything we could ever have had."_

_Kurt's hands were shaking, still enclosed in Blaine's warm clasp. Blaine's eyes were shut and he was sobbing quietly. Carefully, Kurt pulled his hand out of Blaine's and reached over to touch his face. Blaine, surprised, opened his red eyes and simply stared at Kurt, just looking, as if he never would get the chance again._

"_I forgive you," whispered Kurt, and Blaine's lips met his and it was as if, in that moment, the universe had stopped spinning just for the two of them to be Kurt and Blaine once more. _

…

"_It must look so beautiful in the winter time here," Blaine commented, as he walked hand in hand with Kurt in the twilight in central park. The midnight stars were twinkling brightly high above them, it was an odd sight to see under the bright lights of New York City. _

"_Mmm," Kurt mumbled, snuggling into Blaine as the walked. It was summertime but it was still chilly. They'd sat in the coffee house for four more hours, just talking. Then had decided to see Rachel's show- Kurt had VIP tickets - after, they had gone out for dinner and chatted some more. Blaine had then noticed how beautiful the sky had looked so Kurt had suggested that they take a stroll in Central Park because they had nothing better to do other than go home. _

"_So, who's going to break the news to Puck?" Blaine said, smiling down at the boy on his arm. Kurt looked up at him, a smile also playing about his lips._

"_About what? The cinnamon muffins going up by a nickel?" He teased. Blaine laughed softly. _

"_I think he'll be happier than I am right now, if that's possible," said Kurt._

"_He won't be happier than me, Kurt, I don't think it's good for humanity to have this much happiness in the world right now, it would probably implode or something," said Blaine, as Kurt just shook his head at Blaine's ramblings. He'd missed them so much._

"_Is that your phone?" Blaine asked as a light tinkling sound suddenly disturbed the tranquillity of the park. Kurt groaned, he just wanted it to be him and Blaine tonight. He didn't want Puck asking if he could have the frozen pizzas or Quinn asking him to baby-sit Beth, or Finn asking him for a job because he didn't think the pool cleaning business was working, or Rachel asking for advice on which lover to dump. He just wanted time alone with the man he loved with every cell in his body. _

"_Just answer it," said Blaine, "it'll take two minutes."_

_Kurt groaned then tapped the button on his phone as Finn's name popped up._

"_What is it, Finn? I'm kind of in the middle of something right now," Kurt snapped before Finn could say anything. Suddenly Kurt fell silent. Blaine watched the look of terror wash over Kurt's face and drain all the colour from it._

_There was silence, then, "Okay, I'll be there as soon as possible."_

_Kurt turned off the phone, then turned to Blaine, his face as white as a sheet._

"_You need to take me to the hospital. Dad's had a relapse, it's spread to his lungs and he can't breathe." Kurt choked and then he gripped Blaine's hand. Blaine could feel his little fingers shaking underneath his palms. _


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry dear readers, but I changed the ending to this chapter because I didn't like it!**

"Okay, you have to go now!"

"What? I just got here!"

"Shhh!"

"I'm being as loud as you are!"

"Shut up and leave!"

"Ouch-"

"Finn! Hurry!"

"Wait, so you call and ask for sex? And I'm just supposed to do it and-"

"Is that a problem?"

"No, I just feel so used…"

"Oh, come on!"

Finn rubbed his arm from where he was scrambling around on the floor looking for his other shoe. Brody's apartment was so messy, it was always impossible to find his clothes from where they'd thrown them off in a sex anticipation frenzy and finding them was not something that could be easily done in a hurry.

"Here!" Came Rachel's voice and his shoe hit him suddenly on the head. He winced and stood up, massaging his temple and glaring at Rachel, disgruntled.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" She snapped, pulling her shirt on over her head. Finn shook his head, wondering when it ever got to be like this. He had dreamed for years of what it would be like when he and Rachel finally got back together, but he'd never imagined it like this. The two of them, sneaking around, having quick, rushed sex and then, Rachel throwing him out the backdoor like a lover she was ashamed of. But, he supposed, that's all he was, technically, if it weren't for their history.

"Okay, see you later," Finn said, turning to leave the tiny bedroom when suddenly the sound of the front door slamming filled the air.

"Rachel! I'm ho-" The two of them heard Brody's voice catch in his throat and the apartment was filled with a deafening silence. To any other person, outside's chaos and clutter would be unfathomable but Brody, who saw it everyday, contributed to it and watched it grow, could notice the trail of hastily discarded clothes, each item becoming more provocative as it neared the bedroom door.

Finn could picture Brody bending down to pick up Rachel's beret from where Finn had tore it from her head in a hair smelling frenzy. Finn glanced at Rachel, she was half naked, most of her clothes had been hastily removed before they'd even got to the bedroom. She looked like she was fighting the urge to keep quiet and pretend she wasn't here while also trying to refrain herself from bounding out the bedroom and pretending that she'd been performing a strip tease for herself. Finn stood rooted to the spot.

Suddenly a buzzing noise broke the silence. Finn looked around frantically for his phone, then his blood ran cold.

"Finn?" Came Brody's voice, cold but calm, "Kurt's calling you."

He came into the bedroom, his eyes flickering to where Rachel was standing frozen in the corner and handed the phone to Finn. He didn't smile but he didn't seem angry.

"Thanks," Finn muttered taking the phone and holding it to his ear.

"What is it Kurt?" He hissed, "I'm kind of preoccupied right-"

He fell silent. Then his face went completely slack in the sort of way that people's faces tend to do when they know their lives will never be the same again. Their hearts turn to stone and drop all the way down through the floor and into the earth and the very core of the universe, but at the same time, somehow, their pulse quickens as if it is banging its head against a brick wall and screaming "no no no no no!".

Rachel could see this change in Finn, she'd known him long enough that he didn't have to say anything to make his feelings heard. She grabbed his arm and shook it lightly. He turned to her, his eyes dead.

"Is Burt alright?" She asked and he shook his head.

….

"Come on, Kurt, just let go."

"Last time, I held his hand and it worked okay?"

Blaine sighed. It hurt so much to see Kurt in this way and not be able to do one single thing to help him. They'd rushed into the hospital, found Burt, and Kurt hadn't let go of his hand ever since. Blaine had made himself useful by making the necessary phone calls - if people wanted to say their goodbyes then now was their chance.

Kurt had always been determined that if he wanted something, he would get it, and tonight was no exception, except that Blaine thought this particular quest was fruitless and he was dealing with things that even Kurt could not control.

Kurt blinked sleepily, he'd been standing by Burt's side for nearly three hours and it was two o'clock in the morning. Blaine pulled Kurt on to his lap from where he was sitting in the visitor's chair by the bed. Kurt, too tired now to protest, obliged.

He curled into Blaine's chest, still holding his father's hand but his eyes drooped shut within seconds. Blaine looked down at his boyfriend, marvelling at how beautiful he was. The way his eyelashes fanned out across his cheekbones in a perfect wave. The way his lips parted softly as he slept, his teeth hidden as if he was singing a high note. The way his freckles seemed to distribute themselves. The way that one single curl always escaped his quiff and delicately bounced across his forehead. He noticed that all the worry had been wiped off his sleeping face and for once, he looked peaceful.

Blaine rested his chin on top of Kurt's warm, sleeping form and before long, he felt his own eyes begin to drift slowly closed too.

…

Suddenly Kurt woke with a start and immediately knew something was wrong. He leapt from Blaine's lap just as a small, stout nurse rushed hurriedly into the darkened hospital room.

"What's going on?" He demanded, striding over to her as she began to check the various pipes snaking their way across his father's chest, face and arms. She didn't even look up from what she was doing.

"Mr Hummel, could you and your boyfriend please step outside?" She asked curtly, nodding towards the bleary eyed Blaine on the visitor's chair, "it's about to get very busy in here."

"He's just a friend," Kurt said, brushing Blaine's presence aside and sighing impatiently, "I want to know what's going on. I want to know what's going to happen to my dad, hey!" He cried out, "Why are you sticking that needle in him?"

The nurse continued what she was doing, attaching a long tube to the end of the needle which was now sticking out of Burt's upper arm. Kurt wanted to bat her hands away, he wanted to get rid of all the tubes and the medicines and look after Burt himself, like he did last time. But unfortunately, vegetables and soup couldn't cure everything.

"Mr Hummel!" Came another voice.

Kurt turned to see the ward's doctor standing in the doorway. The room suddenly turned very bright and Kurt winced, blinking his eyes repeatedly, trying to the get the doctor into focus.

"Doctor, please can you tell me what's happening?" He pleaded helplessly to the exasperated middle aged man with the stethoscope, "_This_ woman won't tell me a thing, she just keeps sticking needles into my father!"

The doctor frowned at Kurt, "_That_ woman is trying to save your father's life Mr Hummel, now if you would kindly step outside!"

"I'm not going anywhere until you-"

Suddenly Kurt felt Blaine's arms around him, pulling him gently towards the door, away from his father and away from the lasting minutes that he knew they could only have together. He struggled against Blaine's strong grasp but then the door was closing and the blinds were shutting, and all he could hear where the beeping of the machines and the worried voices of the medical staff.

"Let go of me." Kurt said angrily as Blaine tried to pull him into a reassuring hug. Blaine let go immediately but Kurt didn't miss the hurt expression on his face. And for some reason, Kurt felt strangely satisfied.

"Come on, Kurt, I'm sorry but they're trying their best in there," Blaine said, trying to soothe Kurt, but he was too distraught to be soothed.

He could feel the ice cold dread in his stomach getting stronger with every second that passed. Ever since that phone call from Carole, he'd been inconsolable. This was it, he just knew. His veins began to pound incessantly, rushing through his ears and banging on his heart.

He wasn't ready to be an orphan. He was an adult now, he had his own apartment, he had a high end job at a well known magazine. But Burt had always been there.

He'd been there when Kurt had come home from his first day of kindergarten, crying his eyes out because the other boys had made fun of his special, diamond ring. But now Kurt realised most fathers wouldn't have let their sons wear that girly ring to school or ever, but Burt had, just because it was what Kurt had wanted to do. And anything Kurt had ever wanted to do, Burt had never tried to stop him.

He didn't try to stop him when Kurt had wanted to audition for his middle school's Christmas play, even though all the other mothers had tried to warn him that Kurt wouldn't get the part as the main, male role. He didn't try to stop him when Kurt had said he wanted to be an actor on Broadway, even through he knew it was one of the hardest professions to succeed in. He had never told him to become a doctor, or a lawyer, just like everyone else. He had never, in fact, told Kurt that he should try to be like everyone else. That he should try to fit in. Because he loved Kurt, completely and wholly, for just being Kurt.

And Kurt was grateful too, for his dad staying so strong for him, when his mother had died. It had never occurred to Kurt, until now, that his father must have been completely shattered inside. But he'd kept on a brave face for his son, so that Kurt could have a happy childhood, despite the fact that one half of his world had then gone from his life forever.

And as the doctor came out the little room, shutting the door behind himself quietly and shaking his head sadly at Kurt, he knew that the other little half of his life, who had always tried to make up the whole, was gone, and that knowledge completely, and utterly, destroyed him.


End file.
